


The Dragon's Guardian - Part 1

by Wolf_Dragonkiss



Category: Original Work
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:47:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23757865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolf_Dragonkiss/pseuds/Wolf_Dragonkiss
Summary: He looked into the mirror at the huge scars across his body. To most; the scars are ugly, terrible marks showing that bad things do happen. People fear what they don't understand, so of course they are afraid when they can't know why these scars are here. To him though, these scars are everything.He knows why they're here, just as well as he knows who saved his life and let the deep cuts become scars, instead of becoming his undoing. To him, these marks are a reminder of his arrogance, of his folly, and of her.... She saved his life, and in return he gave his life to her, to hold until he was able to repay his debt to her. A life debt.He must save her life by placing her life before his own. But.... How does a man save a dragon?





	1. The Dragon's Guardian - Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be working on part two soon, so please be sure to let me know how much you like this part, and I'll gladly take and consider any suggestions anyone feels compelled enough to tell me. Thanks!

He looked into the mirror at the huge scars across his body. To most; the scars are ugly, terrible marks showing that bad things do happen. People fear what they don't understand, so of course they are afraid when they can't know why these scars are here. To him though, these scars are everything.

He knows why they're here, just as well as he knows who saved his life and let the deep cuts become scars, instead of becoming his undoing. To him, these marks are a reminder of his arrogance, of his folly, and of her.... She saved his life, and in return he gave his life to her, to hold until he was able to repay his debt to her. A life debt.

He must save her life by placing her life before his own. But.... How does a man save a dragon?

~~~ Chapter 1 ~~~

The sound of whet rock sharpening metal is a familiar one, especially when waiting long periods of time while traveling overseas. Time to kill means plenty of time to get ready, and a sharp sword is absolutely critical for this line of work: Dragon slaying.

But the phrase "Dragon Slayer" doesn't mean that he has to stick with just dragons, no. Dragon Slayers hunt all members of the dragon family, and of every type. From giant sea serpents to Drakes and Wyverns, sometimes that can even include giant reptilian Chimera or other things that most other Slayers can't handle, so in a way it's something of a rank in itself. You'll probably never see Vampire Slayers try to kill a Fire Salamander, but someone has to.

As a Slayer of any kind there has to be something that keeps you fighting, Slayers of all kinds call this something a "life line" because those with a reason to fight live longer than those without one. What is his? He still doesn't know, but for now he fights for the rush. There is no prey on Earth that is as interesting to hunt as a dragon.

Each one is different and unique in it's own way, some are dumb and powerful, others are smart and stealthy, but between all the changes the thing that remains the same is the thrill of hunting and killing them... And having a good plan go horribly wrong just adds to the excitement. Watching the anger ignite in an apex predator's eyes when they realize something has come to end them... The excitement of realizing that your the one being hunted while hunting them... And then the times when you're suddenly outnumbered while fallowing a stray into its nest.

He grins at the thought. This is the closest thing he has felt to love, so he does love this job... And he's one of the best.

He studies the condition of his armer slowly and carefully, each piece at one point has saved his life. The breast plate and shield are scarred from years of service, each scratch and dent tells a story of a beast that tried and failed to end him. The heavie armer still holds strong despite their long time service.

His gauntlets however, are new. After every few battles the gauntlets that he uses will always break for one reason or another. The last six pairs were from this month alone. The first, broken against a Wyvern's jaw. The second, ripped off by a Sea Serpent and lost in the ocean, then so on and so forth. It's such a repeating problem that he's learned to carry at least one extra pair in every trip, and it normally helps.

Lastly his Greaves. He has a special type that isn't a single piece like most, but instead is made with several layers of overlapping metal. It's in working order, but there are a few gashes that simply can't be ignored, so he begins fixing them one by one.

He doesn't wear a helmet to most of the battles, but he does have one. The reason is simple: they rarely help when fighting Dragons. To most kinds of Slayers a helmet is essential, from Werewolf hunters to Chimera Slayers most keep a helmet on if they don't seek glory, but for Dragon Slayers a helmet is more of a bother than it is helpful. It obstructs view, slows the speed you turn your head, and doesn't do what it's made to do. It can't stop dragon fire, and doesn't keep them from tearing your head off, and certainly doesn't prevent the larger ones from stepping on you.

However, there are times that a helmet is useful. Like when fighting smaller types of dragons like Drakes or the types that can't use the elements as an attack. A helmet is a valuable ally in those situations, and one that is more than welcome.

He finishes the repairs just as the sound of footsteps reach him.

"Still working on that outdated equipment, Lone Wolf?"

When multiple of the same type of Slayers come together on the same quest they establish nicknames for each other. It's a way to keep other Slayers from getting too attached to one another so they can easily go their separate ways once the mission is finished. Lone Wolf was the first nickname he ever got, so he decided to use it on each occasion to prevent confusion.

"It may be outdated, but at least I can testify to how reliable it is. Looks like all your gear is new."

"Yeah. This job pays enough, so i keep my equipment updated whenever possible. Like it?"

This guy is called "Storm" but Wolf can't seem to figure out why. Perhaps this is one of the Slayers that seek glory... The shiny armer, flashy weapon, and lack of a helmet all seem to hint twords it.

"Not particularly. Looks too flashy to work well"

Storm seemed to take it as a joke even though Wolf wasn't joking. Storm chuckles and smiles at Wolf. He then reaches twords his neck and takes out his Slayer tags.

A Slayer tag is also a show of rank and skill between Slayers of the same kind. Each tag has a main color which shows adaptability and leadership skills, a symbol which shows the level of creature that they can handle, and a letter representing the combat ability of the individual. The main color can be 1 of 6: green, blue, orange, red, black, or silver. Green means new and inexperienced, while silver means a very experienced and qualified to lead large events. The symbol is a clearance to fight the next level of difficulty in creature. There are 5 symbols: Lv.1 Troll, Lv.2 Chimera, Lv.3 Ghost, Lv.4 Fairy, and Lv.5 Demon. The troll symbol means low level creatures like goblins and larger than normal animals, the Chimera means dangerous beast creatures and humanoids, the ghost means undead and cursed, the fairy means magic and elementals, and the Demon means the most dangerous of all creatures: things like Dragons and Demons. You aren't able to fight the next level of creature without first clearing all levels before it. The reason is there are more bends to each rule as you go along, like for example a "Zombie Dragon," if you aren't skilled in fighting both undead and demons then you wont be able to kill it. And finally the letter. From lowest to highest rank: G, G+, F, F+, E, E+, D, D+, C, C+, B, B+, A, A+, S, S+, SS, SS+, SSS, SSS+. Graduating in symbol means a reset in letter rank, but you aren't able to graduate in symbol until you max the letter rank in that symbol, so basically the letters can be changed to numbers 1-100. All these together make up the quality of the Slayer that wears the tag.

When Storm takes out his Slayer tags it's just as Wolf predicted: a red tag with a Demon symbol... Rank F. It's the same as saying that he's level 83 as a Slayer. And the fact that it's red means that he can work well with a team, but doesn't have the ability to lead. He's still new to dragon slaying.

Wolf sighs at Storms grin, knowing that it's only right to show your tag when someone offers theirs, but now he's sure that Storm is in this for glory. Wolf takes out his tag and hands it to Storm.

Storm is totally caught off guard and yells as loud as he can "LEVEL 97!!! YOUR A SS DEMON SLAYER?!?!" Luckily the hall is clear.

In a flash the tip of Wolfs sword is pressed against Storms throat. Apparently Storm doesn't meet people on higher levels than him very often. Wolfs voice is quiet.

"If you don't want to know then don't offer your tag. However, if you continue to announce my life to the whole world i will cut out your tongue. I go through a lot of trouble to not be noticed and i would appreciate it if you respect that, got it?"

Storm carefully takes a small step back while nodding.

"Sure... Im sorry, it's just so rare to see anyone passed level 90... Your like a living legend."

Wolf is surprised by the change in how high and mighty Storm acted. He lowers his sword as Storm returns his tag.

"I do have a question though, why is your tag black? I figured with a nickname like Lone Wolf, the max it would be is orange."

"Not all things are as they appear. I know you're new to the demon class, but don't just assume these are the same as the other creatures you've faced before. The things you'll find here are far different than what your used to, the last thing you want to do is assume how strong one is because you'll likely be wrong."

The room is quiet for a moment, then wolf adds "Be ready, we should be getting close to the island by now."

Storm leaves the room obviously a bit shaken but Wolf pays him little mind, he begins putting his armer on.

~~~ Chapter 2 ~~~

There was an announcement from the captain for all the Slayers to meet on deck a little past noon, so that's where Wolf currently is. He gets there early and waits in the back like normal.

Despite him being early, there are quite a few here before him, roughly 30 or so. He tries to gather information on this meeting by listening to a few conversations being held ahead of him...

There is a group of four two tables to his left playing a card game, apparently the one in black armer lost 7 silver coins to his friends. They don't seem to have any useful information....

One table to Wolfs right has a group of four girls. A fifth walks to the table and starts to gossup about a level 97 Slayer on the ship and how she heard it from a friend who heard it threw her wall. The girls seemed excited, but Wolf couldn't do anything but growl quietly. This doesn't seem useful either. He decides to wait patiently for now.

Six minutes later the captain finally makes his appearance on deck.

"Good afternoon everyone. I am captain Vesher of the ss. Titan Eye. First, I'd like to warn everyone that there is a storm coming our way. Normally i wouldn't bother even batting an eye at any storm, but this one seems much stronger than it should be. Be prepared for the worst. Second, there is a large number of Slayers here with us today. We are even blessed with three Demon Slayer class, but just because we have the numbers does not mean that you should underestimate the creatures on this new island. Our information tells us there are several things living here that are class 4 and up. They are not to be messed with unless you are sure of your level and team."

Class 4 means that there are magic creatures here. Wolf finds himself getting excited again. Where there is magic, there is normally a dragon or two. And the storm is a good sign as well.

The captain continues after a short pause "There is a reason we have the Demon class Slayers today. From the first team of 12 that the guild sent to gather information... Only one returned. He spoke of a giant reptile with wings, and said it burned the camp down as it fallowed and ate them one by one. Does anyone have a guess at what that could be?" The air seemed to become tense. To everyone but Demon class, things like this are very rare.

Wolf laughed loudly and announced the answer that everyone else seemed too afraid to breath.

"It sounds like a type of dragon to me. Please tell me that's why I'm here~ to kill a dragon of some kind?"

The others in the room seemed terrified to hear these words. Their faces all blank with mixed thoughts, Storm, and even the captain himself seemed stunned. This is the main reason he got the nickname "Lone Wolf" in the beginning. Even if the world were to turn against him and no one would stand by his side, he would press forward and face everything alone. The captain clears his throat and does his best to answer. "Y-yes. He believes it was a Dragon, but there is still no proof. You are here as a precaution."

Wolf continues to grin. He is sure there is one near by, and he's excited to meet it. Storm wears a small scowl and mumbles something like "goes through a lot of trouble not to be noticed my ass..."

Rain begins to fall and the meeting ends abruptly. Most of the other adventurers went below deck to get ready, but Wolf couldn't decide on what to do, so he tried his hand at making a potion from some ingredients he found the other day.

A potion isn't some kind of instant heal medicine, but instead a simple way to help the injury itself. There are four main types; heal, close, disinfect, and purify. Heal potions are used to shorten the recovery time on wounds, the strongest can heal major wounds in just a few minutes, but most are only at the level of healing you in nine tenths of the time it normally takes. This type of potion is a thin liquid meant to be used directly on and in the injury, but drains stamina as a price. It's normally a shade of red, but a rare few are purple. Close potions are a thin liquid at first, but solidifies after a few seconds. It's used as a liquid rubber of sorts to stop bleeding, and should only be used on outside skin. There is no price to using these, and it gives a numbing sensation when used so they are found more often than the heals. Its always a shade of brown, light redish brown, or golden brown, and the darker the shade the better it holds. Disinfect potions are to keep a wound clean, and work even after its been applied. They are especially useful in swampy areas, or places where sickness is a high chance. They can be applied directly, or draink, depending on the needs of the individual. The taste is absolutely horrible, so the need must be great if it's draink. Most are greenish to blue-green. Purify potions are the hardest to come by, but are the best to have in an emergency. They don't heal wounds, but are extremely strong against sickness, disease, plague, hexes, and even curses. The strongest can heal a person with scent alone, and are stronger as they settle from milky white to clear. Some adventures have claimed that the liquid even glows, but Wolf has never seen one.

With the ingredients he currently has, he tries making a couple close type potions. The mix is relatively simple: spiderweb silk, water, bee wax, and dried marigold leaves. Everyone has their own way to mix, combine, and make their potions, but the biggest difference between each is the amount of each ingredient they use. Even a tiny shift in amounts makes a world of difference so through seemingly endless trial end error, Wolf has come up with his own system that he uses. 

0.17oz of never balled Spiderweb Silk, as fresh as possible.   
0.25oz of lightly smoked and lightly heated Bee Wax  
Two dried English Marigold leaves, finely ground into powder  
And 3oz of purified morning dew

He takes a thin beeker and a wooden cocktail fork and carefully fills the inside of the beeker with the spiderweb silk without balling it up, Then pats it against the sides. Once the silk is inside he starts a small fire on a metal dining plate and sways the bee wax over the flames, not letting it burn or melt by taking two drops of dew and dripping them into the perfect places. Once its hot he sprinkles the powdered marigold leaves into the beeker at the same time as the wax, coating the wax and silk thoroughly. The dew is added last so it slowly drips past the wax and doesn't disturb the silk, then he takes the whole thing and heats it over the flames until the wax and silk are totally desolved, stirring constantly. It slowly changes color until it's golden brown.

Wolf takes it off the flames and corks the beeker tightly, shaking it vigorously to help mix it. It still needs to settle and cool down, but for today his work on this one is finished. He isn't a skilled alchemist and he doesn't know what makes the close potions solidifie, but if he doesn't try then he will never figure it out. He starts grinding more leaves to make another potion later.

"So this is what a professional does in his free time. I've gotta say, it's kinda strange to see a demon class look so... Unintimidating."

Wolf looks up to see a man in blue robes leaning against the doorframe. He has quite a few scars on his face, neck, and arms, but wears no armer. A mage perhaps? But he has no staff...

"And you are?"

"They are calling me Blue Moon this time. Im a level 88 Demon class Slayer, and a battle mage. You are Lone Wolf?"

Level 88 is D+, so he must be skilled. Wolf continues to grind the leaves, despite the interruption. He puts the fire out with a glass of tap water.

"Why does it matter? Do you have business with me, Blue Moon?"

The man grins. "i simply wanted to meet the other Demon class Slayers here that i may be fighting beside." He seems to be genuine.

Wolf finishes grinding the leaves into fine powder and readies a vile to store it. He carefully pours the powder in, then adds water until the vile is three fourths full. He then tightly slides a cork into the top of the vile, cutting the air content in half, then shakes it vigorously. This is an experiment for layer, to see if pre soaked leaves will work better then what he uses now.

"Normally, that would be a great way to find someone to trust your back to, and a wise choice as well, But the only problem with that......"

Wolf checks the vile quickly and is unsatisfied with what he sees, so he continues shaking it.

".... If there are three or less dragons around, I'll be fighting them solo. I don't want everyone in my way when I hunt."

Blue Moon seems a little stunned, but recovers much faster than most of the people Wolf talks to. "Hunt? You have one insane bloodlust about you... May i ask what your life line is?"

"Fighting them excites me~ I fight for the enjoyment of battle."

Wolf checks the vile again and grins. The contents of the vile are now a light redish. This should make a good potion later, maybe better the longer it sets. Wolf puts it in a pocket on his belt to check it later on.

"That is a truely terrifying life line, but i will not argue. However, i will ask one condition; if we are to beat you to them, would you fight alongside us instead of alone?"

Wolf thinks for a moment before replying "That's fair-" he freezes.

Blue Moon looks confused at first, then realizes why Wolf cut himself off.... The ship is tilting. It's not much at all, Wolf is certain that only the two of them are noticing, but it's not a natural type of tilt. Wolf stands up. He draws his longsword and attaches his shield to the clip on his back, then walks out the door and past Blue Moon.

"Where are you going, Lone Wolf?"

Wolf is grinning widely, he knows what's happening because he has seen this twice before. This is his favorite place to be, in a kill zone. He gestures for Blue Moon to fallow as he replies "To meet her. Wanna watch?"

"Her? What are you talking about? Lone Wolf?" Blue Moon fallows Wolf onto the deck.

There was heavy rain pounding against the deck, driven by strong wind, and only lit up by the occasional flash of lightning. The sky seemed to be engulfed by the storm as there were no blue skies in sight, only dark and grey around them. Wolf barely seems to notice as he quickly walks to the edge of the boat and looks over the side, the grin still on his lips and his sword in his hand.

"Blue Moon! I am the victor of our agreement, please honor your part and stay back!"

The battle mage looks over the railing and into the water in a hurry. "There's nothing down there! Why do you claim victory now?" He looks back to Wolf who is now standing on the rails. "What are you-"

Wolf dives over the edge of the boat, straight into the dark waters in full heavy armor.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!!!" Blue Moon starts to panic at the craziness he just witnessed. What would possess a man to commit suicide in full armer, and what could he do about it? There is no life vest that fallows you underwater, and even if he got help Wolf's armer and gear would have him drown long before anyone could reach him. Maybe magic? That would help, but he doesn't know any water type spells!

There is a loud sound from deep under the boat then the sea starts to get violent. The waves instantly double in both size and number, rocking the boat like a toy in a river. The storm seems to become mad too, the lighting and thunder start to get more frequent, the rain seems to come down with more force, and the air suddenly seems colder. The only thing that doesn't seem to get worse is the wind.... Which has suddenly stopped.

Blue Moon is still in a panic, but not one strong enough to make him oblivious to these changes. These changes are all familiar to him: there is a magic beast close, and a very strong one at that. Almost none of them are able to change the weather.

He takes the spear from his back and unfolds the four parts, then lets them click into place.

Where is it? There doesn't seem to be anything on the boat, and nothing small can fly in this rain so it should be easy to spot. Could it be above the cloud cover? And what is it? It's hard to imagine something that can move these waves without wind, and still command a full storm... Could it be...

Blue Moon runs to the side of the boat again and looks into the water. There is a much louder noise this time that makes the water quake as if it's being flooded with bass, then the noise grows.

The water suddenly explodes upwards as a big black dragon takes to the air, and on it... A dragon slayer.

The dragon roars loudly in pain when Wolf's sword slides between it's thick scales and into it's shoulder. Wolf roars back out of enjoyment.

"You though you would be smart and ambush our ship dragon, bit how's that working out?!" He drives the sword in deeper.

"Now what will you do? Will you give up and die, or fight like a real dragon?!"

The dragon is easily 50 feet long but Wolf seems to be using it's size to his advantage. He tucks himself between the wing joint and shoulder blade to avoid the claws that try to kill him, and cuts deeper with every chance he gets. The dragon roars again, spinning fast and colliding with several incoming waves, but Wolf holds strong.

"Is that your best Dragon?" Wolf laughs loudly. "I'm very disappointed!!"

Wolf twists his blade hard and drives it in at the same time, cutting the tendon that lets the arm be controlled, then watches as its arm falls lifelessly limp underneath the dragon. There are more roars of pain then the dragon dives into the water again.

Blue Moon is stunned by what he just seen.... An ambush.... They were all about to be killed by an underwater ambush.... But Lone Wolf seen it coming.... And easily countered it.....

Voices begin to come from behind him as people run out on deck requesting answers to what they heard.

"I.... It's Lone Wolf.... He's on the dragon."

They whisper in disbelief to one another, none of them seen it so almost none of them believe it... Until the water started to quiver again.

"Everyone, get down!!!"

The Captain's voice seemed to cut through all others, and was obeyed by most.

The water on the starboard side of the ship starts to glow and bubble, then orange and red fire cuts through the waves just a few yards from the boat like a red hot poker through butter. It's Dragon fire!

The crew starts to panic as the piller of fire nears the ship, but the more experienced slayers hold their ground, even though the heat burns the ship from this distance.

Those with wisdom stayed low to the deck, shielding themselves from the heat of the flames with anything they could get their hands on. Those without suffered from the heat, their skin began to melt but not burn, as was a horrible effect to most dragon fire... And those who panicked died.

Around intense heat, you must cool off... That was the thought that killed most. Those who decided to jump into the water failed to realize how hot the fire has already made it...

From the moment the captain yelled, it's only been roughly 4 seconds and yet... More than half of the slayers on deck have died, and still the fire comes ever closer.

There's a loud crunching sound, then the fire is gone. Fear and panic begin to consume the hearts of the living. Pain from melted flesh starts turning the boat into a symphony of screams. And the realization that there is a dragon in the water hits each with a sense of helplessness.

Hurried and broken voices are exchanged through the screams, barely audible to even the closest listener.

"WHAT WAS THAT..."

".... ITS GOING TO KILL US..."

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!!!"

"W-WE NEED H-H-HEEEELP!!"

The captain runs back inside and speeds up the propellers, which in turn speeds up the boat. They need to reach land as fast as possible, in water this deep there is nearly no chance they'll live.

The water breaks open again as the dragon takes to the air. It seems to be in a panicked state as it spins and jerks its body in several directions, desperately trying to shake the slayer from it's neck.

A small item is thrown at the ship. It collides with the mast and falls to the deck like solid rock. Its... A shield? But its broken in half. Did Wolf use this to stop the dragon's fire?

Several people on the boat begin to notice the dragon's frantic movements, and a few realize the truth in Blue Moon's words.

"Someone is riding it! Someone is on the dragon!!" The voice cuts through the night as if there is no other sound. It only takes a moment for more eyes to find wolf.

The sounds of fear begin to turn to cheers. Hope slowly shows its self in the form of a single man with a sword in a dragon's throat.

~~~ Chapter 3 ~~~

The water around Wolf is getting very hot, he knows the dragon is trying to boil him alive... He has to stop this.

Wolf moves as fast as he can, crawling up the dragon, using its injured side as a way to hide from murderous talons. He knows that there isn't much he can do, but anything is better than nothing at all.

He reaches the corner of the dragon's huge mouth and takes the shield from his back, then uses it like brass knuckles. He thrusts the shield forwards with as much power as possible, striking a long fang with the tough metal three times in quick succession.

The tooth breaks, then the dragon jerks its head away suddenly. Wolf's grip slips and the shield becomes lodged vertically between the dragon's teeth. He lets go of the shield just as the dragon bites down hard. The shield snaps like a stale chip sending a loud sound through the water... But the fire has stopped.

Wolf quickly takes out his sword once again and stabs it into threw dragon's throat so he doesn't drift away, then he feels the dragon panic. It flaps its wings hard, pushing water as if it would with air, then breaks the water's surface.

It shakes its head violently, throwing the broken shield at the ship. The dragon spins and starts to jerk hard in every direction, trying desperately to throw Wolf off, but Wolf held strong.

He takes a dagger from his side and stabs it between two sturdy looking scales to give himself better grip, then holds strong. He can hear the metal in his soaking wet gauntlets being pushed to their limits by the thrashing dragon, and feel the rings around his fingers bending because of the death grip he has on his weapons....

What a wonderful battle this is.

Wolf's enthralled grin returns as the dragon's movements begin to shake the sword from it's neck. The dragon senses the small release and suddenly changes. It stops trying to shake Wolf free, and instead tries fighting harder to kill him.

"YES!!! SHOW ME WHAT YOU'VE GOT, DRAGON!!!" Wolf's words seem to enrage the dragon further.

The dragon flies higher, pumping flammable gasses through it's lungs and throat, but not letting it ignite. It shakes the sword free of it's neck and chuffs loudly, forcing it's lungs to compact the gas under tons of pressure, until the gas makes a thin moisture. Once the air is thin enough, the dragon exhales slowly making the explosive liquid coat it's scales.

"Haha! That's such an awesome trick! It relies on your fireproof scales to keep you from being burned, doesn't it?! But bad news dragon!-" Wolf scrapes the blade of his sword against hard scales, making sparks and lighting the mist early. "- I'm not afraid of your fire!!!"

The dragon is shocked by the slayer's actions, but even more so by the fact that the slayer is engulfed in flames but isn't burning. Wolf's chilling laughter seems to echo in the air, while he himself is hidden in the flames.

The dragon flinches at a sharp pain in its wing joint, suddenly feeling the weight of gravity pulling much harder, and the pain of fire immediately after. He's been cut.

The fire melts the tender flesh of the dragon's wing joint as the two fall from the sky. The slayer laughs more somewhere beneath the flames, then cuts the dragon again on the opposite wing.

The dragon no longer has any ability to soften the fall in any way. It panics. The two falling souls begin to spin as gravity continues to speed them twords the ocean.

The fall seems short, it's never lasted more than mere seconds, but the distance is emense. The very sky seems to pass them by, bringing the ocean closer and at a faster rate with each passing second.

Wolf sees the ship through sudden breaks in the flames, and realizes that they are on a crash course with it. 

He jumps twords open water and watches as the dragon collides with the front of the ship and sends broken debris in every direction, then he himself is taken under the waves.


	2. Part 2

The Dragon's Guardian - Part 2: ~~~ Chapter 4 ~~~ 

The water under the waves is very dark, Wolf can't see anything at all. Pressure from the water around him is making his head hurt, he knows he's still sinking but he can't move. Hitting the water at such a crazy speed seems to have stunned his body.... He can't even feel his arms.

Somehow the water is slowly becoming even darker. He needs to move, and quickly. Before the pressure can kill him, he needs to stop sinking..... The water down here is very cold.....

He tries moving his arm, and his finger twitches. It's something. He tries again, and his hand slowly closes. Feeling is slowly returning to his body, but even the smallest movement is exhausting.

Wolf focuses on his right arm, bending it with all his might, then unclips his armer and slides through it. As his breast plate and sword sinks, the pressure stops building, but he isn't going up yet.

He kicks off his boots, and manages to drop his left gauntlet. The pain of the impact begins to burden his body, but Wolf can't stop yet. He is quickly getting control back, but pain is the price.

He struggles with his greaves, but those too fall with some determination. His right gauntlet seems to be stuck, so he breaks a piece off to lighten it as much as possible, then drops every bit of leather that would normally help protect his body. That's it. He feels himself rising slowly in the water.

He weakly begins kicking his legs to help himself float up faster, his lungs beginning to burn. His head feels as if the world around him is spinning, and even his eyes sting from the saltwater. It's becoming very difficult to tell which way is up.

He begins to feel his body being pushed back and forth, and becomes certain that the waters surface is close. He kicks more, encouraged my the movement of the water above him. His lungs begin to scream for air, the burning kind of scream that says that the circumstances your stuck in may be your last.

The shifting of the water changes to the rise and fall of waves on the open ocean, then on one of the falls the tips of his fingers break the lowest valley of a wave, and just as quickly seem to be forced under again by the same wave's rise.

His body reacts to the moment of hope, adrenalin floods his veins all at once and his body swallows all pain to swim with power behind each kick.

The first breath is the coldest breath he has ever taken. The salt from the water baiths his tongue in bitterness and pierces his lungs with heavy coughing, but that single breath brought the whole world back into focus all at once.

The dragon is nowhere to be found. The skies are still dark and grey, but there is no wind, no rain, and no lightning. The very storm around them seems to be dissipating.

The ship is gone.... No surprise there. There are a few broken life rafts on the water. Wolf uses the adrenalin he has left to swim to the nearest capsized dingy, which is only afloat because of the air traped under it. He crawls onto the underside of the small life boat. He must rest. There is little more he can do until his strength returns.

He collapses on the battered wood, greatful its here. A life boat way off in the distance catches his eye. Survivers. When his strength returns, he will have to find them and protect them.... But they will have to wait a while.

~~~ Chapter 5 ~~~

It's night. Wolf breaks off another dead branch and sets it on the fire. He woke on this beach about an hour ago and made a small camp with the materials that washed up with him. There is almost no light from the moon, so searching for the others without a waypoint would be very unwise, especially on an unknown island. 

He pokes at the fire a bit, making sure that every stray ember stays inside the pit and hidden. He knows that fire can attract some very dangerous types of beast, all of which would be a fair amount of a pain in the ass to fight. And dragon is very high on the list.

He pushes a few hot coals around in the small pit to check on something he put in earlier. 

The others landed here, he seen their deserted life boat while gathering wood. They must have went to higher ground while there was still light out, searching for a place to regroup and plan the next move. Hopefully they found a safe place... There will be more dragons here. There are too many signs for there not to be.

Normally he would be excited about the circumstances he's in. Unknown island. Lot's of dangerous beasts. No provisions. No way to defend himself. It's a very exciting hand of cards that fate has dealt him, which makes his victory all the sweeter when he beats fate at her own game. The only problem is that he was hired to protect the crew, and was paid up front for his services. And sense he is an honest man, enjoying himself would have to wait.

Wolf lifts a red hot scrap of metal from the fire with a stick. It's one of the last pieces of his remaining gauntlet, the same one that was bent onto him. In it's broken state, most of the gauntlet is at best dead weight to carry around, but this glowing piece has a purpose.

Wolf sits on a flat stone and turns his right leg in an awkward direction, looking at the bloody cloth that tightly wraps his calf. The dragon scale armor may have kept him from burning, but he did not leave the battle unscathed. 

He undoes the wraps slowly so he doesn't risk reopening his wounds, then looks closer. When did he get these? He doesn't know, but they are simply too deep to ignore. He bites the bloody rags as he forces the glowing metal against his flesh. It's excruciatingly painful. His body shakes hard, he feels the muscles in his leg desperately trying to kick away from this overwhelming pain, but Wolf holds strong. The sound only adds to the pain, sounds similar to when you fry bacon, or drip water into hot grease. It takes very little time, but it seems like hours. He takes the metal from his flesh and throws it back into the fire with a huff. 

He can't scream, he can't show signs of weakness out here, and he can't make an enticing sound or else he may have unnecessary company. Wolf releases his leg and buries his head in crossed arms, his breathing is heavy but surprisingly calm and controlled. He feels the intense spasms of his muscles, but doesn't try to stop them, only conceal them. They will fade slowly, just as the pain subsidies.

He slowly calms his breathing further, making each slightly more shallow until his breathing is normal. He now remembers why potions shouldn't be taken for granted. And this cauterized wound will continue to remind him for weeks to come.

After several long minutes, he's finally able to look up. The fire is terribly blurry, and so is everything around him. He has no way to clean his new burns, everything that would have been in the dingy somehow was lost, not that he really needs it. Wolf has always been proud of his immunity to infections and viruses. He is confident that this too will heal well, given enough time.

He rips off a sleave of his shirt, which has been dried by the heat of the fire, cuts it on a sharp rock, and ties it around the wound. Fresh bandages will keep the smell of his blood from spreading too much, and hopefully help to close his wounds sooner.

A plan in a situation like this is vital... What would be his best course of action?

The shore is the only thing that seems to be easily accessible. There are steep cliffs that meet the sands, making any path onto the island a difficult one, and making the shore itself a cage... There will likely be a predator walking the shore sooner or later.

And once the climb is done, where could they have gone? It's not like they'd be dumb enough to shout "WE'RE OVER HERE!!!".

Most likely, they'll seek a place well away from the shore, somewhere with a good supply of fresh water. Even someone with little experience knows that food, water, and shelter are vital in these situations. And if they don't know, then they certainly won't be around for long. He'll just have to track them down when the sun comes up..... Or... Not? 

Wolf looks at the island above the cliff and spots a light in the distance. A fire?.... Shit, a fire!!

He stands up, cringing slightly, then backs up until he has a better view. It's definitely light from a flame, so he won't have enough time to wait until morning. If anything is in the air within 10 miles of the island then the people around that fire will be an easy target. He will have to leave now, or they won't have the chance to even prey.

He quickly uses a thick stick to drag as much of the fire from the pit as he can, bringing the coals and burning wood into the open. He pulls all of the live psalm tree leaves onto the fire as possible, then buries the whole thing with every piece of dead wood he had, including parts of broken rafts and the small teepee he built.

He puts a large flat rock on top of it all to push his fire pile together tightly. He needs this to light, but not yet. The leaves will keep the fire from lightling for a couple minutes, and the tightly packed branches will make it burn slow and hot when it does finally catch.

Wolf dashes to the wall and starts climbing. Each stone looks unstable but most are surprisingly strongly rooted. The best way to climb is to have three points of contact at all times: two planted feet, one hand with a good grip, Advance with free hand. Two hands with good grip, one foot firmly planted, fallow with free foot. The cycle would work in that way to slowly and steadily help the climber rise. It's safe, but slow. Wolf doesn't have that time.

He sprints up the first shallow incline, then kicks off and catches the wall 15 feet up. The cliff is roughly 55 feet high at this part. Wolf shifts his weight left and right, bringing his body to a dramatic sway. One foot finds a crevice and pushes off hard. He lets his hands slip and catches a ledge several feet above where he was, then uses the rest of the momentum to help lift himself. There are vertical cracks in the wall here. He stretches his arms wide and slides his hands into the cracks, holding tightly.

His breathing starts to increase. He lifts his weight with the cracks and plants his feet firmly against the wall. He jerks himself higher with his arms, then stops himself from falling back by keeping his grip tight and his feet against the wall. This is exhausting.

He's able to pull himself higher about 12 times this way before his shoulders warn him of how much he's pressing his luck. He braces his foot on a small ledge and shimmies along it until finding a small rest area. He's not far now, but his breathing has tripled. He can't stop... Not yet.

He focuses on several rocks peeking out of the cliff awkwardly, and sees stairs. They are a bit far apart, but it can be done.

He has a two step sprint on a broken ledge, then springs forward. One rock, one foot, then on to the next. One rock, one foot, spin and hit the next one higher. On to the next. Kick off, catch the next, climb higher, use the crevice, use the stone, climb higher.

With a quick jump straight up he finally has his hands on the roots at the very edge of the cliff. He lifts himself as much as he can, then rolls onto the island's ledge. He's out of breath.

He pants hard as he looks down at the beach below, and the smoke coming from the fire. The leaves are starting to burn already.

One hand finds the ground and helps him to stand. He doesn't have the energy to run just yet, but moving slowly is better then not moving at all, so he brings one foot in front of the other and starts walking in the direction of the camp fire.

His wounds start to burn suddenly, but he doesn't slow down. Apparently them dumbasses don't know anything about beast island exploration. There should have been at least one person on that boat that knows what they're doing... Did the smart ones die? That would be weird, but not impossible.

Wolf looks ahead of him as far as the night would let him, and sees that the vegetation isnt jungle thick, so that's a plus. There are mainly shrubs, bushes, and ferns for as far as he can see, with large trees here and there. The night hides everything outside of 60 feet, so he'll just have to move carefully.

Wolf's breathing has gotten better, enough so that he's now able to do a well balanced trot. It's good that he doesn't skimp on his training, otherwise he wouldn't be able to recover his stamina so quickly.

The trees around become more frequent as he gets further from the beach, and the short and medium plants slowly seem to be replaced with grass, fungi, and dead vegetation. The sound of waves fades in the distance. His fire should be starting by now.

Soon his trot grows to a jog, then his jog to a run. It takes him roughly seven minutes of running before muffled voices slowly begin to become audible. He stands at the base of a small mountain. 

He starts moving up the slope at a good pace, hoping that thay don't have bad company yet. Their fire becomes visible through the tree's ahead of him, and the voices grow in clarity.

When Wolf steps out of the shadows, he is greeted by all kinds of different reactions. Some of fear, some of surprise, some of hope, and all with questions. He steals a bottle of liquid from one of the people as he passes them and runs straight to the small fire in the center of their camp. He kicks dirt in the fire and dumps the contents of the bottle in quickly to smother it.

The fire is nearly out when a hand grabs his shoulder and spins him around. The hand belonged to Blue Moon.

"Lone Wolf, what are you doing?"

"Your in danger dumbass put the fire out, now!"

Blue Moon begins to explain that he knows the rules of a fire in uncharted territory, when a loud roar from the clouds cuts his explanation short. The roar starts as suddenly as a boom of thunder but lasts much longer. They can't see anything decend from the clouds, only the light from the stars being blocked out in certain areas of the sky.

This is why Wolf was so anxious to get here.

While the other's watch stars vanishing from sight as a shadow moves through the air, Wolf is hard at work finishing the deed he started. He drops to his knees and folds muddy ashes into the few flames remaining. The ashes on his hands quickly became hot from him burying the fires embers, and there is quiet sizzling as he mixes whatever he can in. He pulls the rocks from the edge of their pit and piles them all onto whatever's left as best he can.

"Everyone stay still and quiet" Wolf's words were soft, but he had no doubt that they were heard.

The pattern of blinking stars lead everyone's view to the beach that Wolf has just left. The large fire he built as a distraction seemed to work, but no matter how close the creature got to the pit, they could not see any feature of it.

It's large shadowy figure crawls twords the flames slowly. Each step seemed to be full of control and thought..........

It's intelligent.

There is a light in the distance. It's not one of stars, or of the ocean, it's a light of flame. There should be no light in the dark.... What made flame?

Strong wingbeats carry him through the skies towards the island where the flame is.  
The scent of a female brought him here, but a flame which doesn't grow now has his attention. There must be a reason the flame hasn't consumed more of the island.

A second light grows. A child of the first? It becomes much larger then the first in a short time, but it too does not try to consume the island. There must be a reason... And he must find it.

He lands quickly, some distance between him and the larger of the two flames. He approaches it slowly, being cautious. The flames stay constant, dancing in place and holding their ground. They move, but not from the spot they are placed.... But why not?

He reaches forward and sets his talons in the fire. It's cold. This fire doesn't seem to have the same warmth that dragon fire does, it's like this flame is barely alive at all... He lifts the burning wood to eye level and watches it crumble.

The ocean breeze blows a strange scent by him... Blood?... Yes. It's blood, but from what?

He follows the scent along the sand until he finds a cloth. A couple more sniffs tell him that this was from a human.... It's strong, likely at the peak of a normal human's strength.... The smell is drenched in the scent of the ocean... And there is a small scent of the same female he came to meet. Did she hunt the human?

.... No... A human only bandages it's self if it lives long enough to do so, and the female would not have just let the human escape.... Did he manage to kill her?.....

He lifts his head high and smells the air coming from the sea... Her scent is gone?... He growls deeply, his fangs grow and his scales raise like porcupine quills.

She is dead, and there is a dragon slayer on her island. He begins to feel anger creep up on him, then the wind suddenly shifts. 

There's more then one human here.

He turns his head and looks up the island. The first flame is gone. This must be the work of the humans... After all, what else could possibly make such cold fire?

Wolf feels excitement flood his veins when he realizes that he is being tracked, but the things he enjoys spells out very bad news for everyone else here. He looks around at the few faces here. 18... 18 people, counting himself, would barely be a challenge for that creature. If he was uninjured then even taking it on himself would be possible, but after the things that have happened, it's not likely. Running isn't an option, and scattering would only postpone their demise... Then what?

"I need a weapon," Wolf's voice quivers in excitement and impatience, "Is anyone willing to part with theirs?"

The only option is to fight it. There won't be another ship coming this way in a long time, so in order for these green horns to live long enough to find a way off this island... This creature must die.

Blue Moon steps forward.

"What are you planning, Lone Wolf?"

"Killing it."

"How?"

Wolf looks in Blue Moon's eyes and glares, but Blue Moon holds his ground.

"I'm going to invite it to dinner while y'all run for your lives, so hurry up and give me a sharp stick or something and get lost."

Blue Moon almost chuckles. 

"Your gonna bate a trap with yourself? Smart. So what do you think we should do if you fail? You know as well as I that this island is basically a silver platter. That makes us the main course."

"I don't give a shit what you do, if you don't leave now then the chances of you leaving at all are zero. At least i can make sure this thing won't be able to smell you out."

There is a small shuffle in the croud as Storm steps forward and hands a sword to Wolf. He seems to know how out matched he is in this fight.

"Any potions or poisons of any kind? I need only what you can afford to part with."

Blue Moon demands Wolf's attention after Wolf accepts a small satchel from someone else in the crowd.

"I'm not leaving, Lone Wolf."

"Then we'll buy more time for the ones who are." He looks into the eye's of each person around him, "anyone else feeling courageous and wouldn't mind meeting death a little early?"

He knows this isn't a fight he can win alone, but asking if others are willing to fight with him is still irritating.

There is another shuffle in the crowd.

A woman is first. She's tall and has long knives strapped to her belt. She nods without a word, but wolf understands that she's staying.

"I'm with you." A young man about Wolf's age steps forward. His hair is short, black, and slicked back. He wears good armer and wields a bow.

Another man steps forward. He has on no armer, but Wolf can see that his 4 rings are heavily enchanted. "Aye, I'm with ye as well." He carries an axe and a short sword on his back.

This continues until 9 men and women are standing shoulder to shoulder. Wolf can't help but be impressed. He notices that Storm is not one of them, but for once that might be a good thing.

"Storm," Wolf says loudly so the ones leaving can hear too, "your in charge of those whom wish to leave. Take them to a beach that stays down wind and wait for the next ship, it shouldn't be more then a few day's off... Go now."

Storm does as he's told, taking those who aren't willing to fight and walking into the darkness with the wind to his back. They vanish from sight in moments, the shadows of the night hiding them well.

Wolf douses the blade with a strong looking poison from the satchel, then uses a close potion on his leg. He's careful not to get the two mixed up.

"Normally i wouldn't care, but... Any last words, Blue Moon? We very well may be meeting death this very night."

Wolf digs in the pouch some more and takes the last three viles from it. All three are poisons. He doesn't see a reason against it, so he opens two of them and drenches his blade more.

He hands the last vile to Blue Moon, listening to trees being snapped. Its close.

"Normally you wouldn't care? What brings about the sudden change in heart?"

Hidden blades slide out of Blue Moon's long sleeves. He opens the vile and pours half of the contence on each. There is a long silence as Blue Moon waits for Wolf's response.

"........ I've never once felt fear when i fight, at least not the fear of losing my own life, but instead i fear the loss of life from other's.... Doing this job solo helps me not to worry about the safety of someone else, so...." Another long pause. ".... This is the first time I've fought with someone by my side.... In years. I will be facing my fear once again tonight, so that other's will not share the same fate."

Now it's Blue Moon's turn to be silent.

"..... That's deep man.... Very deep.... I guess i can rest easy with these last words-" He puts a hand on Wolf's shoulder. "Your a good man, Lone Wolf. If we meet death this night, then we will surely be good friends in the next life."

"I would be honered to call such a brave slayer my friend... Death will be watching this battle closely... Let's try avoiding his gaze for as long as possible." Wolf's word's seem to be the only sounds around them.

Sounds of the night nearly vanished from the island the moment the beast landed, and seemed to die out as the conversations carried on. Now, every sound was very distant from them. The songs of nocturnal birds has been gone for a long time. The chirping of insects begins to fade as well, as the insects themselves hide in fear.

The wind stops, and the voices of the trees and grasses stop with it... The world is deafeningly silent.

With the silence of the island, comes the slowing of time around them. Seconds seemed to stretch the spand of hours, and the sweat dripping from the brow of men barely seems to be falling.

This is not normal. Wolf tries moving, but can't seem to. His heart pounds in his chest like a drum, and his sweat feels as cold as ice. What is this magic?

The ground begins to shake under his feet in rhythm. Wolf can now see the breath that is leaving his lips. It's not his imagination, the temperature is actually dropping around them at an amazing rate. It must be a dragon, few other things have this ability.

But.... There's something very wrong. It should be here by now, yet it's no where to be seen. Why has no one seen it yet?

Wolf forces himself to move, he steps onto a large rock and uses it to better his field of vision.

Suddenly a loud hiss fills the air. Wolf raises his sword, but still can't find it's source. The hiss grows for a couple seconds, then there are screams.

Blue Moon searches their surroundings with Wolf, then the sudden realization hits them all at once. Storm's group.

Blue flames blast through the woods with very little trouble. They light up the night around the mountain and cover every limb completely. The screams are silenced in an instant. The fire quickly turns from gas to a solid, wrapping everything that came in contact with it to ice.

"STORM!!!" Blue Moon yells loudly, but doesn't receive an answer.

There is more screaming, but much closer this time. Wolf turns to see that there was a person in his group who has been hit by the strange flames, his arm and leg are covered in a thick layer of ice.

He cries loudly in pain, desperately trying to move but can't. His free limbs struggle in odd ways, as if the ice was freezing his very blood. Blue Moon dashes over to him to lend whatever aid he can.

"STOP! IT'S A TRAP!!" Wolf's word's freeze Blue Moon in places as a terrifying sound fills the air. There's another hiss brewing, but this one is different. It's a deeper sound with lots of bubbling.

"GET BACK!!" 

Blue Moon dashes away from the screaming man as quickly as possible. There is a thick smell of magnesium, then molten lava is shot through the air. 

The frozen man's screams stop when the liquid collides with him, his body falls apart as quickly as cotton candy in hot water.

The group starts to panic.

"Stay quiet, it's targeting us with sound!"

Another deep hiss starts to build, but isn't completed. Every man and woman fell silent at Wolf's word's. They may as well have been pure gold at this point.

The hissing stopped when the group went silent. Wolf knows it's trying to bate them, but he needs it close if he has any chance to kill it. The ground shakes a little.

It's moving.

Everyone stays as still as stone, waiting to see what has killed so many so easily. Trees snap and rocks crumble around them, and still they stay silent. Blue Moon whispers a spell to his blades, and they glow feintly in the dark.

A large claw suddenly comes through the woods and into their camp.

Every heart jumps at the sound of Wolf's voice as he dashes twords the massive dragon. He screams his mightiest battle cry and yells one final command to everyone behind him.

"TAKE IT'S WINGS AND AVENGE THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN!!!"

Time moves very slowly as the mountain shakes with the war between man and beast and it doesn't take long for the number of lives on the battlefield to dwindle..... Screams fade slowly... Hope fades with it.... Death has a very dark shadow....

~~~ Chapter 6 ~~~

.... The night, once filled with sounds of battle, now weeps in near silence. The songs of the dead and dieing are the only noises that remain, and none break it's tone, not dragon, nor dragon slayer....

Wolf lays on his back, thinking silently to himself. He thinks of things that could have been done differently and of things yet to come. The dragon fought hard, he simply fought harder, but saying he won is not by all accounts true. Yes the dragon lays dead, Wolf's own sword pierced deep in it's brain. The only way to tell is the silver handle half buried where the dragon's eye would have been, but still no. For winning is relative to one's own opinion, but how can victory be celebrated with so much loss of life?

Good men fought and died for a cause they believed in, but what of the dragon? Did it not fight for a cause? Did it attack without reason, even with a fear of death that all living things have? Would it have celebrated if it won?

Perhaps Wolf would ask. His eyes fell to the dragon once again, admiring the sheer beauty of it all. Those that kill and those which are killed lay together in death, which belongs where is for the other to say. It's almost poetic. From the dragon's point of view, people are monsters, and yet, we will sleep eternally together as if hate never fell between either side.

The dragon's claws dripped quickly, showing just how deep they must have went.

Wolf's hand slipped. He cringes. There is no pain, but it's strange to feel your own heartbeat.... From inside your chest. His hand easily slid into one of the gashes the dragon left, a parting gift maybe? With every thump, his fingertips brushed against his own heart. The thought almost raised the hair on his neck. He knows that death himself must be sitting beside him.

No, certainly not a victory. Not when tomorrow simply won't come.... But worse still.... The lingering question of "what does this matter in the end?" Even with the dragon dead and the threat to the people who take this path solved, a new threat is always waiting, even if not a dragon. So does this death, these deaths, mean anything?....

No...... They don't..... One death, even for a good cause, means nothing if nothing changes, and a small change is next to nothing. A dragon here, a dragon gone, the change is small when considering that the dragon killed today won't influence the generations of tomorrow. Good or bad, learning is needed. How can learning happen with a problem none are faced with?....

Hot tears slide twords the ground. A meaningless death... And no one to learn a better path.

Wolf's throat burns as his hushed sobs are never sounded. What will come of tomorrow... Will it be better? Will the deaths of today change the hearts of those to come? 

Its been a few minutes... Or a few hours maybe? Wolf doesn't know... The cries around him are all gone now, and the earth beneath him is no longer cold. And now that he thinks about it.... Wasn't there a moon somewhere earlier? Even if there was, its gone now too....and the taste of blood is gone?

The reality hits hard.... he's almost dead. His body is slowly shutting down piece by piece. All of the things that human reality is based on is breaking away and becoming lost to him. Even the voice in his head seems broken und unfamiliar to him.

Eyesight is gone.... Hearing is gone.... Touch, smell and taste... All gone.... Things couldn't possibly seem any darker. Thinking is very difficult. His body doesn't respond to him in any way. Gone doesn't even begin to describe it, his senses seem to be in an enigma, as unfamiliar as if he's never had them to begin with...

Suddenly there is pain. A shock? No, not a shock. Does it burn? He doesn't remember what a burn was, but he knows this isn't it. Sharp?...

That seemed to be the right word to describe this pain, but why is there pain at all? Is it made intentionally, or is it coincidence? But why?

His motivation to care quickly drains away and is replaced by a wave of sleepiness. The thought of pain seems to bring him joy for some strange reason, as his whole reality sways him to sleep.... Maybe hearts will change.... His has.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be working on part two soon, so please be sure to let me know how much you like this part, and I'll gladly take and consider any suggestions anyone feels compelled enough to tell me. Thanks!


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